An old Trinny & Susannah doco demonstrated how 2 women out of 60 had the ‘perfect’ body proportions for their size.  In other words, only 3% of the women observed had perfect body proportions.  That means 97% of women have imperfect bodies..

[pullquote align=right]
97% of women have imperfect bodies.
[/pullquote]The dictionary defines the word ‘imperfect’ as: characterized by faults, mistakes, etc.; defective.  Not good news for you ladies reading this who are in the 97%.

And what about us guys?  As a former bodybuilder astutely remarked about the perfect body:

“The guys you see on TV and in magazines that have that look – that look is what they do for a living.  The maintenance of that look is what their entire lives are based on – it’s a lifestyle. It’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

Good grief.  Have any of us have ever wondered who decided what was the perfect body shape (and what wasn’t) in the first place?

For the rest of this article, let’s call this mythical person ‘Mr X’.

Although we aren’t honest enough to admit it, most of us are slaves to Mr X’s personal opinion, and our no.1 pursuit in life is to gain his approval.

Whoever Mr X is, he (or they) sure wields a lot of power…  or perhaps we give him that power when we choose to believe he is right?  Has anyone actually taken the time to think if Mr X’s opinion is wrong?  Have we become so stupid that we absentmindedly believe what he says without any hesitation?

Mr X can’t even make up his mind.  The perfect body seems to change from generation to generation. Breasts, waists, butts and legs have all been in or out of fashion (as highlighted in the book “Vanity: A Very Peculiar History”)…

  • 1400s: Small bust, big stomach (Europe)
  • 1600s: Cellulite, fleshly rounded figures (Europe)
  • 1800s: High rounded bust (Greece), Fatness & large stomachs for men (Germany)
  • 1870s: Large backside (Western Cultures)
  • 1900s: Wasp waist – ridged corset distorted spine’s alignment (Western Cultures)
  • 1920s: No bust – chest flattening corsets, Boyish look (Western Cultures)
  • 1960s: Adolescent figure (Western Cultures)

 

Who would have thought that curvy girls were the original super-models?

Women (and men) have subjected themselves to endless bodily transformations, ridiculous contraptions, and dangerous fads, forcing their bodies into fashionable shapes purely to be smiled upon by Mr X.

In the end, is it really worth it?  If we would spend half as much time on our character as we do on obsessing about, pursuing and becoming the mythical perfect body I can assure you, this world would be a much better place.

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD‘s anointed!”
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (The Bible, 1 Samuel 16:6-7)

How much of a hold does Mr X have on you?